Russia has hit the trifecta in American news: the US Intelligence Community (USIC) has accused the Russian government of hacking computers. Political bots duked it out before, during and after the debates. And Samantha Bee interviews two Russia trolls. In Russia.
Watch this. It’s “political comedy” masquerading as investigative journalism.
Love them both, but Samantha Bee's Russia trip > John Oliver's Russia trip. Incredible feat of reporting.
— Jonathan Lack (@JonathanLack) November 2, 2016
If you guys enjoyed our piece on Russian trolls we've got TWO more Russia pieces next week. Yay! @FullFrontalSamB
— Miles Kahn (@mileskahn) November 1, 2016
The NYTimes reported on Russian trolls last year.
The Columbian Chemicals hoax was not some simple prank by a bored sadist. It was a highly coordinated disinformation campaign, involving dozens of fake accounts that posted hundreds of tweets for hours, targeting a list of figures precisely chosen to generate maximum attention. The perpetrators didn’t just doctor screenshots from CNN; they also created fully functional clones of the websites of Louisiana TV stations and newspapers. The YouTube video of the man watching TV had been tailor-made for the project. A Wikipedia page was even created for the Columbian Chemicals disaster, which cited the fake YouTube video. As the virtual assault unfolded, it was complemented by text messages to actual residents in St. Mary Parish. It must have taken a team of programmers and content producers to pull off.
Clever bots, employed in a stealthy, strategic manner, can put a virtual finger on the scale of political discourse. Bots generated a huge volume of tweets pro and con during the Brexit vote in the United Kingdom. They also promoted candidates in the 2014 India elections.
This story is a must read to see the modern war for public perception. Bots manipulate our beliefs.Cyberpunk is now. https://t.co/9auiazgx4e
— Scott Seiver (@scott_seiver) October 23, 2016
Bots are robo-calls on steroids, minus any veneer of authenticity.
Finally, the official government statement on Russian attempts to affect the election took a new turn.
After the events of the weekend, many began noting that the FBI was conspicuously absent in commentary and media response after that Department of Homeland Security statement.
From the Financial Times:
James Comey, the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, argued against the US government issuing a public statement earlier this month that accused Russia of launching computer hacks “intended to interfere with the US election process” because it was too close to the November 8 voting, according to a government official.
Comey didn't want to blame Russia for DNC hacks for fear of seeming political.
For fear.
Of seeming.
Political. https://t.co/6B2UuHJBia— The Briefing (@TheBriefing2016) November 1, 2016
And then there’s Slate: “Was a Trump Server Communicating With Russia?”
Yet no one hints that the U.S. is more-than-likely doing the same thing to its perceived enemies.
Known for gnawing at complex questions like a terrier with a bone. Digital evangelist, writer, teacher. Transplanted Southerner; teach newbies to ride motorcycles. @kegill (Twitter and Mastodon.social); wiredpen.com